Frederick e



(No Model.)

F. E. MERKEL.

PICTURE EXHIBITOR.

Patented June 21,1892. a

//////////I///////l/I///////l///K WI T/VESSES:

dyiz aux ATTORNEY.

TATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK E. MERKEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MERKEL &

' GRANSAM, OF SAME PLACE.

PICTURE-EXHIBITOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,259, dated J vane 21, 1892.

Application filed April 23, 1891.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. MERKEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Picture-EX- hibitors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to improvements in such picture-exhibitors in which two stacks of frames containing the pictures are stored, which frames can be moved from'one side of the exhibitor or box to the other side by means ofa shifting block, so that by moving the shifting block to and fro all pictures can be successively viewed through the openings in the top as well as in the bottom of the box; and the invention consists of a box provided with-two openings in the top and two openings in the bottom and having two main partitions for the picture-frames formed by a loose middle partition-wall that moves in guide-grooves up and down with the sidewise motion of the picture-frames, and of a closed longitudinal compartment containing a sliding block that is provided with two catchingbooks, which project through slots in the said compartment and engage the picture-frames, which are thus moved from one side of the box to the other side simultaneously with the shifting motion of the sliding block.

The construction and combination of all parts will be fully described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a verticallongitudinal section of my improved picture-exhibitor; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section, and Fig. 3 a top view of the same with the cover removed and a part broken off.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A in the drawings represents a box, the top as well as the bottom of which has two openings a a, provided with glass plates, through which the pictures within the box are exhibited. A partition-wall B is longitudinally inserted into the box near the lower side wall of the same, by which partition-wall a longitudinal compartment B is formed. The partition-wall is near its lower edge provided with a slot Z), and at its upper edge with a Serial No. 390,099. (No model.)

the lower slot 1) formed in the same way as the upper slot 1).

The inside of the upper side Wall of the box is provided in its center with a downwardlyextending groove 0, and the partition-wall B is also provided with a like groove 0, opposite the grooves in the said side wall of the box. In these grooves a loose partition-wall C is inserted, which is somewhat lower than the side walls of the box and the partition-wall B and can be moved up and down in the said grooves.

A sliding block D, having a spring-actuated catching-hook d on its upper end and a like hook d on its lower end, is so placed into the compartment B thatthe catching-hook datthe righthand side of the block projects through the upper slot 1), and the catching-hook d at the opposite side projects through the lower slot 5 of the partition-wall B. The block D is provided with an outwardly-extending longitudinal rib d that slides in a guidegroove b at the inner side of the partition-wall B, so that a perfect horizontal sliding motion of the block 0 is performed. The said block is shifted to and fro within the compartment B from outside of the box by means of a knob or handle D, fastened to the block and projectingthrough a slot at in the front wall of the box. The picture-framesE, in which the pictures are inserted, have recesses e at their lower ends and their side portions are outwardly beveled. These frames, holding the pictures or photographs, are stored in the partitions formed by the partition-wall G.

The picture-exhibitor works in the following manner: The shifting block D is placed in the left-hand corner of the compartment 13, and the partitions formed by the partitionwall 0 are then so filled up with the pictureframes that the partition at the left-hand side contains one frame more than the other partition, and this frame lies beyond the upper edge of the partition-wall O. The block D is then shifted to the right-hand side by pushing the knob or handle D in that direction, and the hook cl of the shifting-block catches the right-hand-side projection of the recess 6 of the uppermost frame in the said partition, thus moving this frame over the movable partition-wall O to the opposite side. When this uppermost frame has been pushed into the right-hand-side partition, there will consequently be one frame more than in the other partition. By pushing the knob or handle D( in the opposite direction the hook d will catch the left-hand-side projection of the recess of the lowermost frame in the partition at the right-hand side and movethe frame into the other partition below the movable partition-wall C, which is thereby somewhat raised and will drop down within the grooves c and c as soon as the said frame has been pushed against the left-hand-side wall of the box. By pushing the sliding block D to and fro the pictures in the frames are successively exhibited and viewed through the apertures in the top or bottom of the box. To facilitate the shifting motion of the frames over and below the partition-walls O, the upper and lower edges of the same are beveled, as shown in the drawings. The hooks (Z d are projecting in an outward direction,so that when the upper hook moves the uppermost frame to the right-hand side the outside of the lower hook will abut against the right-hand-side projection of the recess of the lowermost frame in the left-hand side partition and the hook will be pressed down,so as not to interfere with the said frame; but the hook will be raised by its spring as soon as it has passed the left-hand-side projection of the recess of the lowermost frame in the righthand-side partition, and vice versa, whereby an easy shifting of the frames is performed.

I am aware that picture-exhibitors in which by shifting the frames the pictures are successively brought to the view of the observer are well known, and therefore I do not claim such picture-exhibitors, broadly.

WVhat I claim is 1. In a picture-exhibitor, the combination, with a box having a longitudinal compartment 1%, formed by a transverse partitionwall, of a loose partition-wall sliding in grooves in one side wall of the box and in the said transverse partition-wall, so that two main compartments are formed, frames having recesses and being stored in the main partitions, and a sliding block in the transverse compartment, which sliding block is provided with spring-actuated hooks, one on the upper and one on the lower part of the same, which hooks engage the recesses of the frame, substantially as set forth.

2. In a picture-exhibitor, the combination, with a box having a longitudinal closed compartment 13, formed by a transverse partition-wall having a longitudinal groove and longitudinal slots, of a loose partition-wall sliding in grooves in one side wall of the box and in the said transverse partition-wall, so that two main compartments are formed, frames having recesses and being stored in the main compartments, and a sliding block in the transverse compartment, which sliding block is provided with spring-actuated hooks, one in the upper and one in the lower part of the same, which hooks project through the respective slots of the transverse partitionwall and engage the recesses of the frames, and with a longitudinal rib sliding in the groove of the said transverse partition-wall, substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 14th day of March, A. D. 1891.

FRED. E. MERKEL. Witnesses:

CHARLES KARP, THOMAS CONRAD. 

